Packing unit



H. A. KNOX I Dec. 17, 1929.

PACKING UNIT Filed Jan. 13, 1926 gwwz'ntoz H A Knux imHw 6H0": neg

Application filed January ia, ism. serial no; time.

The invention described herein, it patented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes withoutthe payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The subject of this invention is a packing unit.

Considerable difiiculty has heretofore been experienced in confining a lubricant to a rotating member such as an axle or wheel bearo ing and this is especially true, where, under severe conditions of usage the packing must also serve to prevent the incursion of foreign matter. v

The principal. object of the present inven 15 tion is to provide a simple and eflicient packing unit which will permit of ready application.

To these and other ends, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and

' 2o combination of elements, described hereinafter and pointed out in the claim forming a part of this specification.

A practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

F ig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a member equipped with my improved packin unit;

Fig. 2 is a etail view of one-of the ofiset so disks;

Fig. 3 shows a different arrangement of the disks; and

Fig. .4 is a detail-view of one of the disks shown in Fig. 3. I

Referring to the drawings by numerals of reference ,l

The packing unit embodied in this invention is shown applied .to'a roller 5 such as is used in supporting a vehicle of the track laying type. I 1 The rolleris mountedon a dead axle 6 b means of ball bearings 7 only one of Whic is shown and lubricant may-bejintroduced into the spaces 8 between the roller bearings by means of the fitting 9 and the passages 10 and 11. The packing unit employed to confine the lubricant consists of a pair of ofiset disks 12 encircling theaxle and formed of any suitable material such as leather. These members are reversely mated so-that their inw an it her or no a, was;

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ner marginal portions 13 will be spaced to accommodate a spreading member, specifically a spring 14, while their outer portions 15 will abut against each other 'to be conveniently held to the wheel by means of screws 16. The inner marginal portions are packed against recessed supporting rings 1717, keyed on the axle between the bearing and a hub rin 18. While the remaining portion of bot disks may be supported I prefer to only back 50 the outer ring with a correspondingly shaped ofiset plate 19 which is secured to the wheel by means of the screws 16 which retain the disk.

Inasmuch as the spring 14 will permit inward movement of the disks the space be- 5 tween the disks will become packed either with grease or mud or both which will thus supplement the action of the spring in holding the disks tight against.- their supporting rings and will seal the packing with a pressure in excess of the pressure of the confined lubricant.

In those constructions wherein the axle is the rotatable member the otl'set disks will be arangedas shown in Figs. 3 and 4 wherein 6 is the rotatable member orsh'aft, 12 are the ofi'set disks, 13 are the spaced portions of the disks, 14 is the spreading member or spring, 16 are the screws for fastening the disks to the rotatable member, 17 arethe supporting so 1 rings and 19 is the 'ofiset plate for support in an outermost ofiset disk.

y claim} i v 1A packing unit for rotatable members including a pair of ofiset flexible disks reversel y mated to provide contacting and spaced portions, means passing through the contacting portions forsecuring the disks to the rotatable member, fixed members for supporting the ends of the s acedportions of the disks, a spring for 1101 'ng such endsagainst their supporting members and an offset rigid annu lar plate secured to the rotatable member and engageably supporting the portion of the outer disk not supported by the fixed member; l r HARRY A. KNOX. 

